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Green Wave Basketball at Historic Devlin Fieldhouse

Originally known as Tulane Gym until 1988 before becoming Fogelman Arena, a name held until 2012, Devlin Fieldhouse plays home to the Tulane Green Wave basketball and volleyball programs, and it is the ninth-oldest basketball venue in college basketball.

Originally built using funds from Tulane’s Rose Bowl appearance in 1931, the venue has undergone major renovations including improved lighting, chairbacks, new concessions and a team shop in the venue.

While basketball has been the main attraction at the arena, events such as President Gerald Ford’s announcement of the end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War have taken place there.

For a brief period of time, the New Orleans Buccaneers of the American Basketball Association called Devlin Fieldhouse, then known as Fogelman Arena, home.

3.9

What is FANFARE?

The FANFARE scale is our metric device for rating each stadium experience. It covers the following:

Food & Beverage

Atmosphere

Neighborhood

Fans

Access

Return on Investment

Extras

Each area is rated from 0 to 5 stars with 5 being the best. The overall composite score is the "FANFARE Score".

Food & Beverage
3

While eating in New Orleans is always a solid idea, one should not get too excited about eating at Devlin Fieldhouse. Both concession stands offer the basics in way of food such as hot dogs, popcorn, and the likes.

Devlin Fieldhouse does sell Coke products, so that will be a plus in the eyes of many. Perhaps more of a plus is the selection of beer available. For those interested in something made in Louisiana, grab an Abita Beer.

Atmosphere
3

Devlin Fieldhouse provides a much different experience in the era of building bigger and bigger arenas for sporting venues. With a capacity of only 4,100 (and a feeling that perhaps a smaller number would be the capacity), fans attending a Tulane basketball game will feel close to the action no matter where they sit. This feeling of closeness does not happen at all arenas, and with teams from the American Athletic Conference such as UConn making annual trips to the facility, fans can see talented teams up close.

One item to watch for is the importance of chairback seats for those attending the game. The ends of the courts have bleachers, so comforts such as cup holders, armrests and chairbacks are not available in that area.

The knock on the atmosphere comes from the smaller crowd. During the 2014-2015 season, an early season matchup with Mississippi State only drew 1483 fans. Considering that the final home football game of the year was scheduled to kick-off only a few hours after the conclusion of the game, the crowd could be excused. However, a matchup against defending national champion, UConn was still short of a capacity crowd with about 3600 in attendance, which is larger than most.

One item that will jump out to fans is how easily accessible everything is at Devlin Fieldhouse. Fans are only a single flight of stairs from finding concourse areas, which are plenty large, to get to any and everything they need during a game.

Overall, the venue is a great place to watch a basketball game. There is not a bad seat in the arena.

Neighborhood
5

When it comes to a fun neighborhood for sporting events, no one quite corners the market like New Orleans. Fans attending a Tulane basketball game can find just about anything to do before and after the game. The attractions most from outside the New Orleans area seek, such as the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, are just a streetcar ride away from Tulane's campus on Saint Charles. However, be sure to spend some time near the university in the areas known as Uptown and the Garden District.

Where to Eat. There's plenty of quality eats in the immediate area. If you're looking for one of the better burgers in town, try out the Camellia Grill. The Milk Bar is a neat little restaurant offering gourmet sandwiches and salads, as well as their signature milk shakes. Also near the campus is Dat Dog, an eclectic place to grab a variety of hot dogs including the Alligator Sausage Dog.

Looking for something touristy? Hit up Hard Rock New Orleans and grab a shirt. There's also Café du Monde, which is a must-stop during your stay. Order some beignets and a café au lait while watching street performers perform to the delight of the crowd near Jackson Square.

Attractions and Entertainment. Families traveling with children can spend some time at both the Audubon Park and Audubon Zoo, which is just across the street from Tulane. There's also a few college bars in the area such as the The Boot, which earned a spot on thrillist.com's New Orleans's Nine Bad Decision Bars.

Those looking for a night on the town have all of the fun of the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. A trip to New Orleans is far from complete without a visit to places such as Pat O'Brien's where a hurricane and a good time can be had at the piano bar. Other options include belting out karaoke at Cats Meow or drinking daiquiris from Fat Tuesday.

Where to Stay. Check out the Best Western off St. Charles. Located in the Garden District and a short streetcar hop to Tulane, it's sure to provide a comfortable stay that's within walking distance to Magazine Street while also being near the French Quarter and CBD.

Fans
3

While the number of fans at the game may not always be large, the fans at the game get into the event. One thing fans might notice is that the student section sits across from team benches, and while this does not allow students to constantly harass the other team, it does let them see everything happening on the bench. If this section finds a player struggling, they have no qualms about getting after that player for the entire game in an attempt to force more mistakes.

Additionally, the crowd stays into the game the entire time. While the play on the court may go through lapses, the crowd does not as one may hear different chants and cheers throughout the game. The crowd also does a good job in working with the pom squad and cheerleaders at the game. When these squads come out to cheer during timeouts, the fans respond accordingly.

A game with 4100 Tulane fans would produce an intimidating environment for opposing teams.

Access
4

Any time one travels in New Orleans, they should expect busy, crowded roads as they near Tulane. However, that does not mean the roads are difficult to drive.

With U.S. Highway 90 and Interstate 10 running through New Orleans, getting to the city proves to be easy. Once there, finding the campus of Tulane University and Devlin Fieldhouse is simple.

The only knock on accessibility comes when there are other events scheduled on campus, such as a football game. When this occurs, much of the parking set aside for basketball is used for football. This would not present much of a problem, but when asked, several members of the game day parking staff could not make any suggestions for basketball parking.

If staying in town for the game, a trip on the trolley is well worth the fare. Just remember to have exact change or prepaid pass or you will not be allowed to ride.

Return on Investment
5

Attending a Tulane basketball game will not cost a fortune, and in return fans get to watch quality basketball from a close position.

Fans can expect to pay between $12.50 and $25 per ticket to get into a game, and some games have cheaper tickets available on third-party ticketing sites like TicketMonster.com. A trip to the concession stand is not a wallet buster either as a family could eat at the venue, which might be questionable giving the cuisine of New Orleans, for under $25. In all, a family of four should not spend a crazy amount of money to attend a game, unless they just want to do so.

In return, quality teams come to Devlin for basketball. In 2015, Wake Forest and UConn made visits. Memphis also traveled to New Orleans in 2014, but that game was moved to the Smoothie King Center, a strange decision as only 3100 attended the off-campus game.

Extras
4

One bonus star goes to having a concession stands located just behind the corner seats allowing fans to watch the game from the stands. While these stands do not serve a full menu, fans are not forced to miss part of the action to make a run.

A second bonus star goes to renovation efforts of the arena over the past few seasons. While the renovations have greatly improved Devlin Fieldhouse, the feel of the ninth-oldest basketball stadium remains.

A third star goes to the event staff. While fans practically have to walk on the floor to get to the seats, the staff never acts like this is a problem. Devlin is staffed with friendly folks all the way around.

A fourth star goes to the decoration inside the stadium, especially old center floor that hangs in the front of Devlin Fieldhouse. It makes for a fantastic photo opportunity.

Crowd Reviews

Devlin in the Details

Total Score: 2.43

When you go to a city like New Orleans you always learn something new, whether through historical facts or personal experiences while there, you’re always in for a treat. At Tulane University there is much to learn about the school, but the hardest thing to learn is why its mascot is the Green Wave. However the Green Wave knows how to roll.

The Green Wave basketball teams play their games in Devlin Fieldhouse, which is a newly named and renovated facility. The Devlin was formerly known as Fogelman Arena and before that it was simply the Tulane Gym. It originally opened on Dec. 15, 1933 making it currently the ninth oldest active collegiate basketball venue in the nation. At the start of the 2012-2013 basketball season the name was changed to Devlin Fieldhouse, after two supporters of the school. The Devlin’s maximum capacity is 3,600 and there is a long history behind the building.